Kobe Bryant didn't speak to LA Lakers teammate for two seasons as 'overrated' claim made

One of Kobe Bryant's former teammates claimed the pair did not speak to one another during their entire two seasons together in the NBA, and even suggested the experience of playing with the former LA Lakers star was 'overrated'.

Bryant has gone down as one of the GOATs in basketball thanks to his accomplishments on the court and in the NBA.

He spent his entire career with the LA Lakers which spanned two decades between 1996 and 2016.

In that time, Bryant was crowned NBA champion on five occasions and was twice crowned the NBA Finals MVP, as well as being voted the NBA's Most Valuable Player in 2008.

Tragically, Bryant died at the age of 41 in January 2020 when he and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna were among nine people who perished in a helicopter crash in Calabasas in California.

Bryant - who also won two Olympic gold medals with the USA at Beijing 2008 and London 20212 - was teammates at the Lakers with Smush Parker, with the latter joining the team in 2005 before leaving for Miami Heat in 2007.

In fact, Parker was side by side in the Lakers dressing room with Bryant, but he claims the pair never spoke despite being together for some two years.

Smush Parker and Kobe Bryant. (Image: Getty)

Speaking to journalist Pablo Torre in 2023, Parker labelled his time together with Bryant as 'overrated' as he opened up about their time together as teammates and their lack of dialogue.

He said: "They asked me about, you know, my time in the NBA, my time as a Laker, my time playing with Kobe Bryant. And when I got to answering about my time with Kobe Bryant, as normal, I answered it honestly, my truth, you know, what my experiences were. And I said it was an overrated experience, playing with Kobe Bryant.

"Because I have inside information, because I dealt with this man for two seasons, and my locker was here, his locker was here for two seasons. I watched this man put on his shoes every day for work.

"Like we shared a cubicle side by side. How do you do that for two seasons and never hold a conversation?"

And Parker even alleged a particular incident where he tried to speak to Bryant about a football game, but was met with a dismissive and abrupt response.

Parker claims that Bryant said to him: "You can't talk to me. You need more accolades under your belt before you talk to me."